Means for straightening continuously accruing rod material



p 8 1964 'w. HESS 3,147,793

MEANS FOR STRAIGH'I'ENING CONTINUOUSLY ACCRUING ROD MATERIAL Filed Jan. 10, 1961 INVENTOP 4 0:- rze H 5 United States Patent 3,147,793 MEANS FOR STRAIGHTENING CONTINUOUSLY ACCRUING ROD MATERIAL Walter Hess, Dusseldorf, Germany, assignor to Continuous Metalcast Co., Inc., New York, N.Y. Filed Jan. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 81,776 Claims priority, application Germany, Jan. 14, 1960, Sch 27,267 1 Claim. (Cl. 15354) Straightening machines are employed for straightening continuously accruing material, particularly rolled stock. The material is guided round, between positively driven rollers arranged above and below it, in an upward and downward direction, out of the direction of motion, until with an appropriate adjustment of the straightening rollers, it finally runs out of the straightening machine in a straight line.

If however the rod of material, issuing from a vertical continuous-casting plant, is to be straightened after being deflected into a horizontal plane, a series of difliculties arise, which with straightening machines can only be overcome with difliculty, and in part with a comparatively heavy expenditure.

The rod issuing from a continuous casting plant usually has a speed of advance ranging from about 0.5 to 6 metres per minute, and is known to be very sensitive to distortions. On the other hand this rod material may be of comparatively large cross-sectional areas, which would involve a very costly straightening machine. The introduction of the rod into the set of straightening rollers of straightening machines also gives rise to serious difliculties, since the straightening rollers thereof are very difficult of access.

The problem of the invention is to provide straightening apparatus which obviates the disadvantages of the straightening machines usually employed for straightening rod material, and will not be very expensive, but will be robust and reliable in operation.

As a solution of this problem, apparatus is provided which consists of a live-roller bed conveying the material, and, on the side of the material remote from the liveroller bed, of rotatable rollers, adjustable independently of one another, each adapted to co-opera-te with one live roller of the conveying bed.

According to a further feature of the invention, the rollers adjustable independently of one another are adjusted hydraulically, by way of rocking levers or the like for example, relatively to the live rollers allocated to the latter. All the rollers of the apparatus are preferably cooled, for the purpose of the better removal of heat. The adjustable rollers, or at least one of them, may be driven in synchronism with the live rollers. Guiding bars are provided between the adjustable rollers for the reliable guidance of the rod.

One constructional example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 shows the apparatus in front elevation in section on the line I-I in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 2 shows the same apparatus in side elevation in the working position; and

FIGURE 3 shows the same apparatus in side elevation in section on the line III-III in FIGURE 1.

By 1 is denoted live-roller conveying bed, which forms a continuation of an inclined slideway 2, which supplies 3,147,793 Patented Sept. 8, 1964 to the straightening means a rod or strand 3, coming from a vertical continuous-casting plant not shown in the drawings.

The rollers of the conveying-roller bed 1 are driven by a motor 5a, through a clutch 5b, by means of chains 4a passing around chain wheels 4 and a deflecting roller 5, and over a tensioning roller 6. On both sides of the conveying-roller bed 1 are arranged parts of a frame 7, on which shafts or axles 8 and 9 are journalled above the conveying-roller bed 1. Levers 10, 10a, 11 and 11a are mounted rotationally fast upon the shafts 8 and 9. On the free ends of the levers 10a and 11a, rollers 12 are rotatably mounted. The free ends of the levers 10 and 11 are pivotally connected with piston rods 14 of pistons not shown in the drawing, guided in cylinders 15 and 16. The cylinders 15 and 16 are rockable about pivots 17. Between the shafts 8 and 9 is arranged a guiding bar 18 for guiding the in-coming rod 3.

When the rod 3, coming from a vertical continuouscasting plant not shown in the drawings is supplied to the straightening-roll bed by way of the inclined slideway 2, the levers 10, 10a, 11 and 11a with the rollers 12 are deflected or elevated as shown in FIGURE 3, and the leading end of the rod 3 runs into the straightening apparatus. When the leading end of the rod 3 has passed the roller 12 rotatably mounted on the lever 11a on the entry side, the roller 12 is pressed against the rod 3 by supplying fluid to the cylinder 16 and thereby rocking the levers 11 and 11a about the shaft 9. The rod 3 runs at first in the direction 3', represented by a chain-dotted line in FIGURE 3. When the leading end of the rod 3 reaches the roller 12 rotatably mounted on the lever 10a on the outlet side, the cylinder 15 is supplied with fluid, and, by the rocking of the levers 10 and 10a the roller 12 on the lever 10a is likewise pressed against the rod 3, so that this roller is now advanced in to alignment with the plane of conveyance of the roller bed 1, as shown in FIGURE 2.

The rollers 12 may if desired be driven in synchronism with the rollers 1, in order to exert a better straightening action upon the rod 3. After the rod 3 has passed through the straightening means, the rollers 12 are moved back into their initial position by rocking out the levers 10, 10a, 11 and 11a.

The construction of the adjusting mechanism for the rollers 12 is only to be regarded as a constructional example; solutions are also possible in which the rocking levers 10, 10a and 11a may be omitted.

I claim:

A strand straightener for use with a vertical continuous casting plant having strand deflecting means to bend the strand from the vertical to the horizontal, comprising a plurality of rollers aligned in a horizontal roller bed, a frame consisting of a first and second frame part positioned astraddle said roller bed and extending vertically upwardly therefrom, a first and second shaft extending transversely of said roller bed and being rotatably journalled in said frame parts at the upper ends thereof, said shafts being positioned in parallel disposition and in close proximity one to the other, said shafts being provided with extensions extending outwardly from said frame on one side thereof, a first lever and a second lever respectively aflixed to said first and second shaft between said first and second frame parts and extending from said frame along said roller bed on opposite sides of said 3 frame, a first and second roller rotatably journalled respectively in said first and second levers at theends thereof, a third and fourth lever respectively affixed to the extension of said first and second shaft and extending downwardly to below the level of said roller bed, a first and second hydraulic cylinder, 2. first and second piston within said respective first and second hydraulic cylinders, said cylinders being positioned below said roller bed, a first piston rod coupling said third lever to said first piston, 21 second piston rod coupling said fourth lever to said second piston, and means to independently supply said cylinders with hydraulic fluid to raise both said first and second levers to receive the bent strand from said continuous casting machine, to lower the first lever when the end of the strand has passed said first roller to urge said first roller into engagement with said strand, and to lower the second lever when the end of the strand has passed said second roller to bring said second roller into straightening engagement with said strand.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,649,705 Kelley Nov. 15, 1927 2,004,596 Biggert July 11, 1935 2,620,631 Denton Dec. 9, 1952 2,843,178 Nighthart July 15, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 507,775 Germany Sept. 19, 1930 

